180th Annual Convention, November 17-18, 2017
The 180th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Chicago took place Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18 at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard. Bishop Jeffrey D. Lee was the keynote speaker and the theme for the convention is “Transformational Leadership.”
View a transcript of Bishop Lee’s November 17 convention address.
Bishop Lee’s convention sermon was titled “Love One Another.” Read the sermon here.
Convention provided opportunities for prayer and worship, including the opening liturgy on Friday and the convention Eucharist. View the worship booklets for Friday and Saturday.
Workshops & Learning Opportunities
A variety of workshops were offered Friday morning, Friday evening and Saturday morning before the business sessions of convention. Topics included the College for Congregational Development; Stewardship; the Commission on Global Ministry and the Refugee Crisis; discernment for the diaconate; and the ongoing work of our Antiracism Commission.
Brown bag lunch learning sessions were held at noon on Friday and Saturday, with topics and interest groups including the Episcopal Church Women, our retired clergy, the Deacons Lunch, High School and Campus Ministry, Fierce Conversations, storytelling, and Education for Ministry.
Convention Election Results
At the annual convention, clergy and lay delegates voted to elect officers and approve legislation. The following people were elected to diocesan office:
Bishop and Trustees: Peg Williams (clergy); James Barrett (lay), Mike Mattson (lay), Robert Neal (lay)
Standing Committee: Barbara Seward (full term, clergy), Eric Biddy (unexpired term, clergy); Rory Smith (lay)
Cathedral Chapter: Charles Lewis (lay)
Resolutions Approved at Convention
Delegates to the convention approved resolutions on clergy and lay compensation; protecting Palestinian children in Israeli courts; and advocating for DACA and immigration reform. View the
approved resolutions as acted upon by convention
.Reports to Convention
Commissions, committees and task forces of the diocese submit annual reports for review at Diocesan Convention. View the reports in English and Spanish.
Award Announcements
The Episcopal Church Women awarded their 2017 Recognition Grant to Grace, Pontiac for its new support group for those affected by opioid addiction. The 2017 Phoebe Griswold Grant was given to St. Thomas, Chicago for a new girls spiritual fitness program.
The Peace and Justice Committee awarded the 2017 Michael Yasutake Award posthumously to the Rev. Dr. Robert Cotton Fite, longtime priest associate at St. Luke’s, Evanston, for his work on peacemaking in Israel-Palestine.
2018 Budget
The 2018 diocesan budget was presented at convention. For more information contact Courtney Reid.
